To pronounce "total", say TOT-al — 2 syllables, IPA /ˈtəʊ.təl/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.
total
Tap to hear · American accent
Accent
If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.
Speed
Syllable by syllable — tap each one
Record yourself saying total, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.
2
Syllables
5
Letters
/ˈtəʊ.təl/
IPA
"total" has 2 syllables: tot-al. It rhymes with motile and anecdotal, if that helps it stick.
noun
“A total of £145 was raised by the bring-and-buy stall.”
“The total of 4, 5 and 6 is 15.”
verb
“When we totalled the takings, we always got a different figure.”
“That totals seven times so far.”
adjective
“The total book is rubbish from start to finish. The total number of votes cast is 3,270.”
“He is a total failure.”
Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.
"Total" has 2 syllables: tot · al.
The IPA transcription of "total" is /ˈtəʊ.təl/.
Total: An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?
Open “total” in the full dictionary →